Magical
by Thunderstorm101
Summary: When Voldemort throws a wrench in Fate's plan, giving himself an edge against Harry Potter...Clockwork finds himself having to "cheat" again, if he wants to stop one of the worst possible futures imaginable...
1. Prologue pt 1

(A/N)

Yes, I'm starting a new story. Mostly because I was struck by inspiration and it refused to stay in my head. This does not mean that Phantom Nightmare is being put on hold any more than it already was (not at all, in other words). However, my Internet connection is being unpredictable, and I am absolutely swamped with homework.

I do not own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter. This story, however, is all mine.

_Magical_

**Prologue part One**

One year ago, the Earth was almost destroyed when a gigantic asteroid, nicknamed the "Disasteriod", unexpectedly changed its orbit and hurtled directly toward the third planet orbiting Sol. Just when it seemed that all was lost, Vlad Masters, billionaire and mayor of Amity Park, revealed that he was a half ghost, and offered to make the Disasteriod intangible if the leaders of the world would sign all of their power over to him.

Faced with no other option, the world leaders complied with this ridiculous demand, and Vlad Plasmius set off to save the world. However, he discovered that the Disasteriod was made of Ectoranium, a mineral that no ghost can touch; Vlad was no exception. The villain was left out in space, exiled from the entire planet with no way back, no safe haven.

With all hope lost, Daniel Fenton, another half ghost, decided that he would save the world. Vlad had hit on the answer, he felt, but with the asteroid made of Ectoranium, it was clear to the young man that it was the Earth that had to become intangible! So the young hero went into the Ghost Zone to recruit allies. Initially, none would help him, and all were upset because the Zone had become very crowded by the ghosts fleeing into it to escape the destruction of Earth.

However, when Danny explained that when Earth was destroyed, the Ghost Zone would go along with it, the ghosts were quick to change their tune. Even an entire dimension of ghosts would not be enough to make a planet intangible, but Danny's longtime friend, Tucker Foley, solved that problem. The solution was simple, he claimed, all that need be done was to make a device that would encircle the planet and transfer intangibility throughout everything.

The teens' plan was enacted just in time; the Earth became intangible just as the Disasteriod reached it, and the world was saved. Now that everyone knew of the existence of half ghosts, and the world as a whole hailed Danny Phantom as a hero, the young man felt that he could safely reveal his true identity to everyone on Earth, most importantly, his parents.

_Magical_

Everyone knows this story, of course; it happened a year ago, and history teachers the world over have drilled it into student's heads as "history in the making". What happens after is no mystery, either, as news crews have followed Danny Phantom everywhere. The young man got no privacy after revealing himself to the world!

At school, his Phan Club follows him relentlessly, even a year after the big revelation, and his girlfriend, Sam Manson, has been the target of many a verbal attack as more popular girls attempted to steal the coveted place by his side. His teachers are forced to make allowances so that he can get his work done and keep the world safe at the same time.

Even ghost hunters have changed their views about him! Well, some of them. His parents, Jack and Maddie Fenton, no longer chase after him. The Red Huntress has gone from hunting him to helping him. The Guys in White are forced to stand down where Phantom is involved, though they have been known to ask for his autograph after taking down dangerous ghosts such as Skulker, or Penelope Spectra.

The ghosts have not changed their behavior one bit. They still attack, and they still treat Phantom the same way that they always have. Or they would, if Amity Park's human ghost hunters had not stepped up their vigilance. The Guys in White have three teams permanently stationed in Amity to take care of ghost attacks during school hours and after curfew, so that the world hero can get a decent amount of sleep and do his school work.

_Magical_

(A/N)

Yeah, no plot or anything yet. Just…prologue. Of course, the prologue is important, too, even if it's not as engaging. I hope I didn't bore you people to pieces with it!


	2. Prologue pt 2

(A/N)

(A/N)

Not much for me to say today.

I still don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter.

_Magical_

**Prologue part Two**

Deep in the Ghost Zone, well past the places that any sane apparition refuses to enter without at least five friends, is the dome-shaped headquarters of the Council of Observants. The Council sees all and likes to think that they know all, and is made up of strange beings with giant eyeballs for faces. They wear robes and have green skin, and they enjoy being very, very dramatic.

When a ghost is arrested and brought before the Council, they are dramatic during trial and sentencing. When things are going well, they dramatically congratulate each other on a job well done. When things are going poorly, they dramatically blow everything out of proportion. When they see disaster in the future, they send representatives to Clockwork, the master of time, who _does_ know everything, and dramatically demand that he do something to fix it.

This story begins with two Observants flying as swiftly as they can toward Clockwork's lair.

_Magical_

"Clockwork, something terrible has happened!" the Observant on the right shouted, gesturing dramatically as he and his companion burst through the double doors into the great tower surrounded by floating cogwheels in one of the oldest parts of the Ghost Zone.

"You can no longer see the actions or future of Thomas Marvolo Riddle," a deep voice stated from the shadows.

"Yes," the Observant on the left said, somewhat calmer than the other one. "We have come—"

"To find out why this is and what Mr. Riddle is going to do in the future," Clockwork interrupted, finishing the Observant's sentence.

"Yes," said the Observant on the right.

"You cannot see Mr. Riddle because he has managed to lift himself out of time," the ancient spirit informed his bosses, floating out of the shadows so that first his staff became visible, with his symbol on the top of it, and then his blue hand, and then his glowing red eyes, before the rest of him became apparent. His face set to its usual expressionless, Clockwork floated out before the panicking spirits, his purple cloak trailing behind him and the pendulum in his chest ticking steadily. "As Mr. Riddle has managed to separate himself from time, I am unable to see his future, either."

"Surely you can see more than we can!" an Observant insisted.

"I can," Clockwork nodded, waving his staff toward the circular viewing screen set into the wall. "I can see only what is most likely to happen in the future of that world. What is most likely to happen…without interference. The moment that we introduce a new element, we will be unable to see the future or the past until the mess has been cleaned up and Mr. Riddle is defeated."

The screen came to life, showing first a world in ruins, people running away from robed figures in skull masks, a green skull with a snake slithering from its mouth glowing in the sky in green stars. Bodies littered the streets, and a pale-faced man with red eyes and slit nostrils laughed over it all.

The scene shifted in a wash of static, and the Ghost Zone was shown, overrun with dark-cloaked humans riding on broomsticks and using wooden wands to shoot bits of light that destroyed or enslaved any ghost that they touched. Again, the pale-faced man with red eyes and slit nostrils laughed, his bald head gleaming green in the pervading light of the dimension.

"Death and destruction," breathed the Observants together. "Clockwork, is there no way to stop this from happening?"

"There is one: we introduce a new element to the world of wizards. Once that happens, the future will be, once again, thrown into uncertainty. We must level the playing field; if Mr. Riddle exists outside of the time stream, we must add another outside of the time stream; someone in opposition to him, someone who will work to prevent this dire outcome."

"Are you certain?" asked an Oberservant.

"I cannot be," Clockwork sighed.

"Very well, then," intoned the other Oberservant. "Be aware, though, that if this goes badly, we will blame you."

_Magical_

(A/N)

I'm sure you can all see where this is going. I warn you; by nature of the plot bunny that spawned this, it will be incredibly long.


	3. Chapter 1

(A/N)

Hey, I'm back. I know, I know, I should be working on Phantom Nightmare, and I swear it's not dead! Really! It's just that this one is screaming to be let out, and I'm more interested in it right at the moment.

Ah, I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter. Or the computer I'm using to type this.

_Magical_

**Chapter the First**

Magical

The moon shone through the open window, illuminating a typical teenager's bedroom. Dirty clothes lay in a heap on the floor while NASA posters adorned the walls and model spaceships hung from the ceiling. A sleeping figure sprawled out on a bed. Tousled black hair in need of being cut spread over the pillow; blankets rumpled and curled over the teen's haphazardly lying body, and a pair of feet stuck out the other end, twitching occasionally as their owner dreamed.

It was the pair of feet that drew the attention of a pair of glowing red eyes.

"Should I?" the owner of the eyes mused aloud, watching the toes twitch. A smirk curled across the apparition's blue face. "Why not?" he answered himself.

Clockwork produced a feather from his robe and tickled the sensitive spot on the bottom of his charge's feet until the young man, hardly a boy anymore, woke laughing and fell out of bed.

"Cl-Clockwork!" the youth gasped, realizing just who had awakened him. "What are you doing here?"

"I need your help, Phantom," the master of time sighed.

"Who doesn't?" Danny moaned, closing his blue eyes. "What is it? It must be an emergency, otherwise you'd just let me hear about it on the news."

"By the time this little disaster made it onto the news in this world, it would be far, far too late to do anything about it. This is a problem that must be nipped in the bud, as it were." As he spoke, Clockwork turned away from the half ghost to examine a poster on the wall.

"That bad, huh? Do I have time to bother getting dressed?" Danny asked, running his fingers through his hair and checking the digital clock on his bedside table. 3:10 AM.

"There is no need, nor point, in your getting dressed. Just assume your ghost form and come with me…if all goes well, I will have you back here in a few minutes time, and no one will miss you," the ancient smiled, waving his staff and opening a blue rift in the air that Danny knew from experience would lead to the Clock Tower, Clockwork's lair.

"And…if all doesn't go well?" the hero asked, shifting to his other form, green eyes glowing in apprehension.

"Then…there will likely be nothing left of you to return," Clockwork sighed, briefly bowing his head.

"Sounds like a normal day, then," Phantom joked to lighten the mood.

"Indeed," Clockwork chuckled, floating through the portal. After a quick glance around the room, well aware that a few minutes could well last over a year with Clockwork involved, his white haired charge followed.

Magical

The main hall of Clockwork's lair was much like Danny remembered it, including the battered thermos placed on an out-of-the-way dais.

"What's the problem?" he asked, all business.

"First: a short lesson on the nature of reality," the ancient spirit intoned, his smirk looking out of place on a buck-toothed infant's face. "You already know that the living world, or human world, is connected to the Ghost Zone. You also know that the portals in the Ghost Zone can lead to anywhere in the real world…to any_when_ in the real world."

"Yeah," the teen nodded, remembering his misadventures with the Infi-map.

"You also know that the future is not set in stone, and that alternate time lines are more than just science fiction," Clockwork continued, gesturing to the dented Fenton Thermos, with its demonic face-print.

"Yeah," Danny shuddered, preferring to _not_ remember that particular incident.

"What you do not know is that there are multiple worlds. Perhaps the correct term would be multiple _universes_. These universes are timelines that diverged so firmly and so long ago that the entire world is altered beyond recognition. For instance, there is a world where the industrial revolution took place in China, not Europe. There is another in which Pariah Dark was never sealed away. It is a universe that has no contact with yours that we will be dealing with."

"Really? Then…why are we worried about it? Shouldn't you have a counterpart there who'll take care of it?"

"No, Phantom. There is only _one_ Clockwork, and I am responsible for temporal stability across all of the multiverse. This is because there is only one Ghost Zone, and it connects to all universes. Most ghosts are unaware of this, and stay in the area that they are familiar with. The Observants would not allow me to tell you this, but they are desperate to avert that which even I could barely glimpse."

Danny's eyes glowed brighter with fear, green creeping into the whites and illuminating his face.

"You…could barely see it?" he whispered.

"That is correct. A man named Thomas Marvolo Riddle, now called Voldemort, managed to lift himself out of time and confuse my senses. I am unable to touch him. However, _you_ may do to him as you please, as you are already unbound by the time stream."

"I am?" Phantom asked, the bright light of fear leaving his eyes, replaced by the tamer sparkle of curiosity.

"You are. When I interfered with your fate by allowing you to face your future, you became slightly disjointed from the time stream. This de-synchronization was made permanent when I allowed you to remember what had happened when everyone else forgot what never was. When you used the Reality Gauntlet to alter the world so that nothing had ever happened, you became detached. You are nearly as outside the time stream as he is," Clockwork affirmed, pointed toward the thermos again.

"Wow," the half ghost whispered. "How is that going to help, though? And what do you want me to do, anyway? Find some way to slip this guy back into the time stream or something?"

"I'm sorry," the old ghost sighed. "Your orders, from the Council of Observants, are to make sure that Riddle does not live to achieve his plans. You are to go undercover in his world and bring him down, using whatever means you must. If nothing is done, he will attain immortality and bring the entire multiverse under his rule. At risk of sounding like my employers, he must be stopped."

"If you're agreeing with the Council, then this guy must be bad news," Danny mused.

"The worst."

"What do you mean by 'undercover'?"

The young man regretted his question almost immediately in light of the grin spreading across his guardian's face. Some expressions should not be on anything over twenty, let alone over twenty-thousand.

"Ah…Clockwork? I'm not sure I like that look on your face…" he stammered fearfully, floating backward.

"I assure you, Phantom, I would not do this if it were not absolutely necessary," Clockwork smiled, raising his staff. "If you were to simply appear in the other world as you are, you would find some difficulty getting the leverage that you will need. Besides, this isn't some get in, get out job. Riddle is not yet in a form that can _die_, so you will need to bide your time and develop a base of information."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"It shouldn't be. Members of the community that you will enter begin school at the age of eleven, so I will revert you to the age of ten and ten months."

"OK. Wait, what?"

"Too late, you agreed," the master of time grinned, waving his staff. There was a flash of light, and the famous ghost was gone, replaced by a floating child wearing black shirt and jeans with white shoes and fingerless gloves. The DP symbol took the form of a pendant.

"Aaack!" the child shouted, surprised by the way everything had suddenly gotten bigger. After a moment, he regained his equilibrium enough to realize something. "And I was almost done with puberty, too!"

"It won't be that bad, Danny," the older ghost smiled, shifting to his middle aged form. "As long as no one figures out that you're not human, you'll have a normal second childhood. Now, shall we go?"

Clockwork waved his staff again, and the view screen on the wall changed to show static, with the occasional glimpse of the normal looking interior of a house. Without another word, the two flew up and through the portal.

(A/N)

Heh. Revised. Not that I'm planning to warn anybody when I do stuff like this.


	4. Chapter 2

(A/N)

I have received a review asking if things from this story can be used as fuel for other stories. I feel that there can be only one response to such a question: if your plot bunnies think that something in one of my stories looks tasty, feel free to feed it to them. If you read something I wrote and find the proverbial TNT to take out your Writer's Block, take it.

That said, I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter.

_Magical_

**Chapter the Second**

_Magical_

The scene on the other side of the portal wasn't grainy or unfocused in the least. Danny and Clockwork emerged into what appeared to be a normal living room. The sofa was big and squashy looking, the coffee table had a few magazines and some knitting on it, and there was a fire crackling in the big fireplace.

There were a few abnormalities, though. The figures in the photographs over the fireplace moved, watching the two ghosts with evident surprise. The footrest growled at the floating figures. A small hand-bell glowed red and lifted itself up off of a chest of draws swinging side-to-side, chiming far louder than it should have been able to.

A nondescript black haired woman in a floral pattern housedress bustled into the room and snapped her fingers at the bell, which put silenced immediately and put itself down.

"I'm surprised, Clockwork," she breathed, blue eyes shining with a faint red film, "you're three hours late. We were starting to think you weren't coming."

"Three hours?" the master of time mused. "My control in this world seems to be slipping more than I had thought. Another day or two, and I might not have been able to get you here, Phantom. As it is, I will have to leave now. Your foster parents can explain everything to you."

Danny watched as Clockwork vanished back through the blue portal, which closed behind him. _'There goes my only way home,'_ he thought sadly. Hardening his resolve to take down this Riddle guy, he drifted to the ground and returned to his human form.

"I was told you were half human, but I didn't expect you to be so ready and willing to just drop into your human form in a strange place. Or are things different in your world?" the woman asked in a cheerful, though somewhat strained, voice.

"Very different," Danny laughed. "So, what are you going to explain that Clockwork didn't have time to?"

Plopping down on the sofa, which was every bit as squashy as it looked, he prepared himself for a long story.

"I should probably get Spines in here for the explanation. Oh, I'm Mist Shade, by the way. We'll give you our cover names as part of it," she rushed, before turning back toward the doorway. "Spines!" she shouted. "He's here!"

"What? He was so late that I thought I might have misremembered the date!" a baritone voice shouted back. This was followed by running footsteps, and a huge man, easily over six feet tall and broad in the shoulder, rushed into the room, skidding comically to a stop when he saw Danny on the couch. "Did Clockwork already leave?" he asked.

"Yeah," Danny sighed. "He's got his hands full. So, what's so different about this world that Clockwork thought I'd need to be briefed on it?"

"First, I have a few questions, ah…Phantom, right?" Mist Shade stammered, radiating nerves.

"Shoot," Danny smiled, trying to appear unthreatening.

"Are you familiar with witches and wizards?" Spines began.

"No," Danny replied. "Are they real in this world?"

"They aren't in yours?" Mist Shade shrilled, eyes widening in shock.

"No," the half ghost affirmed, shaking his head.

"I'll start with the basics, then," Spines sighed. "My 'human' name is Howard Fenton, this is my wife, Debbie, and you're our only son, Danny. Debbie's a witch, and I'm a muggle, that is to say, a human without magical powers. As the son of a witch, you'll be posing as a wizard, and going to a school for young witches and wizards called Hogwarts.

"Witches and wizards have their own culture, quite different from muggles. It is now the beginning of June, so you have three months to familiarize yourself with using a quill to write with. In a wizarding home, moving paintings and photographs, animate inanimate objects, and candles are the norm.

"There are books on history in the house, Debbie can show those to you later. You probably won't need to know most of that at the start, so you can relax and do whatever you want. Our job is to make certain that you don't stand out, and can pass as an ordinary young wizard."

"There is one thing that Howard forgot to mention," the woman that fit the name "Debbie" so much better than "Mist Shade" added. "Everyone at Hogwarts will know, and fear, the name 'Voldemort'. He was a dark wizard that vanished ten years ago when he failed to kill a boy named Harry Potter. The Potter boy will probably be in your year at Hogwarts, and you will be expected to know him on sight. He has a lightning-bolt shaped scar on his forehead, so if you meet him, be sure to stare at it at least a little. Otherwise, you're bound to stand out.

"No one in the wizarding world speaks Voldemort's name. You will hear him referred to as 'The Dark Lord', 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named', and 'You-Know-Who'. He and his followers, the Death Eaters, killed thousands of muggles while he was in power. He had non-human followers, as well. The giants were on his side, as well as werewolves, vampires, hags, and our kind—the phantasms."

"Wait, phantasms?" Danny interrupted, confused. "You mean we have a different name in this world?"

"Different?" Debbie asked, surprised. "What are we called where you are from?"

"Ghosts," he answered.

"Ah, well, ghosts are a completely different thing here," she smiled, seeming relieved. "In this world, ghosts are the pathetic shades of dead wizards and witches. They have no power beyond speech, and cannot even become corporeal."

"Anything that you need to know about this world can be found in the books in the library upstairs, or read in the paper. We have a subscription to the _Daily Prophet_, so that shouldn't be a problem. I'll show you around the house, then," Howard smiled, gesturing to the doorway.

Firmly reminding himself that this was really important, and that while he'd miss his friends and family terribly, they wouldn't even know he'd been gone unless he told them, Danny followed the ghost—no, _phantasm_—up the stairs.

_Magical_

(A/N)

Phew! That's the longest time I've ever taken to finish a chapter once I've started it: a whole 28 days!

I blame Writer's Block (guess I need some of that metaphorical TNT) and this huge research essay I have to do…well, I got inspiration on the ESSAY instead of this, so…good for my grade, not for my fanfiction.

Sorry. As always, updates will be sporadic. Requests for updates make me feel guilty…and guilt makes me write. Though maybe I shouldn't have told you guys that?


	5. Chapter 3

(A/N)

It feels like all I do in these author's notes is apologize, sometimes. Well, I'm sorry I got distracted from all this.

It's kinda strange, how this is probably my most popular story. Well, it gets the most hits, anyway. I'd like it if everyone that read it reviewed it, but I know enough about the nature of both humans and computers to realize how unlikely that is. Still, taking a moment (those of you who can review, computers willing) to tell me that you liked it, or thought I had too many typos, or something, would be appreciated.

Also, please don't get on my case about referring to Danny Phantom style ghosts as phantasms; that's what I'm calling them in this story, so that I can differentiate easily in the narration between them and Harry Potter style ghosts. I shouldn't have to say this, but I've seen people flame things that should be obvious creative license.

I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter. Mist Shade (Debbie) and Spines (Howard) are mine, though.

_Magical_

Chapter the Third

_Magical_

After a week of living with Debbie and Howard, Danny finally got the hang of calling them "Mom" and "Dad", though he didn't have to go out in public much. Most of that week was spent reading up on wizarding history and following the Daily Prophet, which the Fentons got free copies of, since Debbie was a minor editor working for the paper.

Remembering that Amity Park was a long ways away was considerably easier when living in a house filled with enchanted objects, and Danny found himself getting homesick after a week of not seeing his real parents, his sister, Tucker, and especially Sam. _'Still,'_ he reminded himself, _'as far as they're concerned, I'm not going to be gone at all. Just a few minutes, Clockwork said. Well, as long as I succeed in stopping this Voldemort guy.'_

Danny sighed and rolled over in his bed. It was way too early to be worrying about things like this. He hadn't even enrolled in Hogwarts yet, the school where, according to Debbie and Howard, "You-Know-Who" was probably going to be keeping his eyes. Once he had eyes. According to all of the books Danny had read, "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" was long dead, thanks to Harry Potter.

All this not saying someone's name out of fear grated on Danny's nerves, but Debbie had said that no one said _his_ name, because people were still terrified of his memory. The half phantasm's fingers were just tightening on his pillow out of irritation when he heard Howard call up the stairs that breakfast was ready.

Leaping out of bed and quickly dragging a brush through his hair so as to at least be presentable, Danny darted through the door without bothering to open it first and headed down the stairs to the smell of eggs and bacon.

"Why, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were a normal human boy!" Debbie exclaimed as he skidded to a halt to avoid hitting her.

"That's the idea, isn't it?" Danny grinned at her. "To pass for human?"

"I'd say you're passing with flying colors!" Howard boomed, laughing. "I haven't seen you slip up once! No randomly glowing eyes, no falling through things, no sudden invisibility…I'd have to say that you're probably the youngest well adjusted half breed I've ever met."

"Ah…I'm seventeen," Danny sighed. "Didn't you know? Clockwork decided that I'd have an easier time with my mission if he knocked a few years off of me."

"Well, that explains a lot," Debbie nodded. "I'm not surprised that he did something like that…tell me, do you usually do his dirty work?"

"Not often," Danny admitted. "I mean, I usually end up doing what he wants, but he normally lets me find out about it on my own. We're on reasonably good terms, though. If I'd said I didn't want to do this, he wouldn't have forced me."

"If you want to do it, you want to do it," Howard smiled. "Now…eggs, bacon, French toast?"

"All of the above!" Danny grinned, before digging in.

_Magical_

Another month passed, with Danny becoming accustomed to the Wizarding world to the point where the moving pictures, self-lighting candles, and writing with a quill had become normal. He determinedly read the Daily Prophet and recent history books, and practiced saying "You-Know-Who" and "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" instead of the more sensible "Voldemort".

Between reading things like The Tales of Beedle the Bard and hearing about Floo Powder and other such Wizarding devices, his crash course on Wizarding culture went surprisingly well. However, no plan is without its hitches.

"OK, Danny, at the moment, you have no magical powers," Debbie said. "Come to that, neither do I. I'm using a pre-charged wand, a phantasmal device that would certainly be considered Dark if wizards knew about them. With a pre-charged wand, anyone can use magic—the problem is that it can only provide so much magic before it has to recharge, which is why I have several of them, and rotate them out every day.

"That won't work for you, because you're going to be a student wizard, and will have to use a lot of magic everyday, even if it's only to keep up with your peers when showing off. Fortunately, there's a phantasmal device specifically for half-humans who are going to pose as wizards.

"This is a chameleon amulet," she said, pulling an intricate gold and green disc suspended on a long chain out of her pocket. "As long as you wear it, all of your phantasmal energies will be converted to magical power. From the moment you put it on to the moment you turn seventeen, you shouldn't remove it unless you absolutely have to, because the Ministry of Magic could register your disappearance. While you will be powerless without your wand, like all wizards, you will retain any physiological differences that you have from full humans.

"If you have any senses other than the normal five, please tell me now. Otherwise, you could run into some trouble on your mission that you could otherwise avoid."

"OK," Danny said, nodding slowly while he tried to take it in—Debbie talked fast! "I recently gained the ability to sense human auras, in addition to sensing the presence of phantasms."

"The chameleon amulet shouldn't interfere with that," the disguised phantasm smiled, looking relieved. "Here, you should put it on," she said, passing it over to him. "I should have given this to you when you first arrived; this is cutting it a little close. I hope the Ministry still picks up on you in time for you to be invited to Hogwarts."

Danny nodded, and turned the amulet over in his hands. It was lighter than it looked, and the gold had an odd, slick texture and look to it. The intricate green design that he'd noticed before was a chameleon, also sickly-slick looking, twisted around itself and melding seamlessly to the metal background. The disc was about three inches across.

He fastened the chain around his neck, and felt the constant cold presence of his other side melt and shift into something warm and wild, untamed and unpredictable. Danny's awareness of this power faded, and though he tried, his grasp of it fled like quicksilver, until he was unable to touch it at all.

Grimacing and taking a deep breath, he turned to Debbie. "When do I get a wand, again?"

"We'll have to wait for you acceptance letter, then go to get your wand with the rest of you school things."

"Great. I get to feel helpless until my letter comes," Danny scowled, fidgeting. "That's _if _it even comes. Has this sort of thing worked in the past?"

"I don't think anyone's ever tried to infiltrate Hogwarts before. We've had half phantasm students in Durmstrang, though, and that turned out OK, but that was hundreds of years ago."

"Thanks. That's really…reassuring," Danny sighed.

_Magical_

(A/N)

OK, I get it. The wait probably wasn't worth it. All I can say is…I have no excuse. Really. I just got a bad case of Writer's Block, an ongoing condition that, in my case, is brought on by, perpetuated, and fed on nerves and the butterflies from my stomach.

I'm going to graduate from high school soon, and I've got this…fear of change…

Right, about the chapter. I hope I haven't bothered anyone by giving Danny an additional power (the ability to sense human auras, spirits, whatever you want to call it). I figure, though, that if his powers increase with age (which they seem to), then his ability to sense ghosts would become stronger as well. If he senses the ghosts' energy, which they output constantly, then why wouldn't he be able to sense human energy (which we also output constantly—it's true, humans have natural electromagnetic fields)?

Other ghosts in the series can sense some facet of humanity, like Penelope Spectra, who senses despair and misery, because she feeds on it. If that's the case, why shouldn't Danny develop the ability to detect human energy-fields?

I've seen people say that Danny's ghost sense is an auxiliary of his ice powers, which doesn't make much sense to me when I think about it. OK, it _could_ be, but it makes more sense to me that he subconsciously considers ghosts to be threats, and when he senses them, his cryokinesis, the least easily controlled of his powers, activates somewhat, chilling him. If that's the case (which I'm saying it is for the purpose of this fic), then that ghost sense is actually a separate power, one that can't be switched on or off or manipulated consciously.

Sorry if this long note annoyed you, but one of my pet peeves is authors giving characters all sorts of powers (and sometimes turning them into Sues or Stus, depending on gender) without any sort of explanation.

Also, I came up with the chameleon amulet to stop Danny from becoming too powerful. He can have magic OR ghost powers, but NOT both at the same time. That way, Stu-dome lies, and that is a road I swore never to walk down.

Thank you, you wonderful people who displayed your impatience. Your reviews requesting more finally got me off my butt.

As always, please review. Flames will be used to heat the author's rear-end until she can't stand it anymore and writes another chapter.


	6. Chapter 4

(A/N)

First thing's first. I should probably apologize for the amount of time it took me to start writing again. Well, first I graduated from high school, and that was good. Then, my friends introduced me to Dungeons and Dragons, and that was distracting. Then I took a summer school class at a community college, and that was fun, and now that school's about to start, I'm writing again.

Why is it that I'm most productive in my free time when I've got non free time stuff looming over me? Makes no sense…

Anyway, I do not own Danny Phantom (if I did, there would be less potty humor), and I do not own Harry Potter (if I did, the epilogue wouldn't have happened). Debbie and Howard are mine.

_Magical_

**Chapter the Fourth**

_Magical_

Fortunately, Danny need not have worried over his acceptance to Hogwarts. A mere two days after he received the Chameleon Amulet, an owl arrived with his acceptance letter.

As Danny turned the heavy yellow envelope over in his hands, inspecting the parchment, the neat writing in green ink, and the intricate seal of a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding the letter H, Mist Shade was so excited she almost lost control of her Debbie disguise.

"It's really working!" the phantasm whispered. "They have no _idea_ that you're not really a wizard! This infiltration thing is going without a hitch!"

"Without a hitch _so far_," Danny corrected, still inspecting the envelope closely.

"Are you always so negative?" the phantasm asked, putting her hands on her hips. "It's a pity Howard isn't here, but if he doesn't go to work, no one will believe he's really a muggle."

"I'm not negative, just practical. Just because I've gotten in doesn't mean that no one's going to spot me for what I am. I won't be able to let my guard down for a second…and there's no guarantee that this letter is genuine." Frowning, he finally slit the envelope open. When nothing came out of it other than a papery smell, he eased the letter out and read it.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

_of _WITCHCRAFT_ and_ WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlcok,_

_Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

Dear Mr. Fenton,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

_Deputy Headmistress_

"Well, it looks like the real thing," he sighed, skimming over the list of things that had to be bought. "I assume you know where to go to get this stuff?"

"Oh, yes," Debbie smiled. "We can get it all in London, no problem there. You can get a pet, too, after we finish buying supplies. We could go now, or we could wait a while and you could meet your future classmates while we're shopping."

"I think I'd like to get my supplies as soon as possible. If my only defense is going to be magic, I'd like to start learning quickly. This Chameleon Amulet is really grating on my nerves."

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it. Most do, after all."

"Only most?" Danny raised an eyebrow. "What happens if someone _doesn't_ get used to one of these things?

"Oh, usually they rip it off, throw it to the ground, and start blasting everything in the general vicinity—twice if it moves. I'm not worried, though."

"Oh, good."

"If you go berserk, you'll be at that school, and far away from me."

"_Thanks_ for the _vote of confidence_," Danny drawled, rolling his eyes and looking mildly offended. "If I go nuts, the world as _anyone_ knows it is going to end. I don't particularly want that to happen."

"Well, then, for the sake of the world as we know it—let's buy your school things." Debbie grinned broadly at the prospect of a shopping trip, and pulled her cloak off of a coat-rack. "I believe that a lesson in wizard-style transportation is called for. I'll give you the choice, though: Floo powder, side-along apparition, or should we take the Knight Bus?"

"Hmm…" Danny frowned in thought. _Floo powder is travel by fireplace, which means we'll probably get covered in dirt. Her wand only has so many charges, so wasting one to get cleaned up is silly. Apparition is out for the same reason; it'll waste a charge to use it. I guess that leaves…_ "Let's use the Knight Bus," he smiled, coming to a conclusion.

"OK, then. We'll go as soon as you get your cloak on."

_Magical_

Before long, Danny was stepping off the double-decker bus outside of The Leaky Cauldron, a dilapidated looking building sandwiched between two larger structures that took the bulk of the crowd's attention, aiding the concealment charm that shielded the wizarding pub from muggle eyes. Debbie stepped off after him, looking somewhat paler than her human disguise normally did.

"Well," she panted, frazzled, "what did you think of the Knight Bus?"

"It was fun," he grinned. "It would have been more fun if you hadn't kept throwing up, Mom. I guess we'll use Floo powder next time we have to go somewhere."

"You," the phantasm in disguise sighed, "are completely fearless. How do you manage it?"

Danny shrugged in response, not seeing much difference in the way the Knight Bus was handled and the majority of his experiences in the Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle.

Shaking her head, Debbie entered The Leaky Cauldron, followed closely by her half breed companion. Danny was astounded—it felt like he had stepped back in time. Two witches gossiped and smoked pipes in the corner, and a giant of a man with a great tangle of black hair covering his entire face drank out of an enormous wooden mug as he sat on a chair that creaked and buckled with his weight.

As interesting as the whole scene within the pub was, Danny did not stop to look. Partially, this was because he knew that he needed to appear as though he was used to the wizarding world, but mostly, this was because Debbie was rushing toward the door at the other end of the building, and he had to jog to keep up.

Through the door was a back alley. There was a trashcan and a brick wall—nothing more. There was something off about the wall, though, and Danny felt compelled to walk up to it and investigate. The whole thing seemed to be giving off a weird vibe, particularly one of the bricks near the trashcan.

"Hey, Mom," he said in a slightly distracted tone, "is this wall enchanted?"

"Why yes, it is," Debbie replied in a surprised tone. "This wall holds the gateway to Diagon Alley, which is filled with wizarding shops where we can get your school supplies and even a pet for you, if you want one."

"A cat, owl, or toad, right?" Danny asked.

"Mhm," Debbie nodded. Then, she pulled out her wand and tapped the odd brick that looked just like every other brick but gave off that weird magical vibe. The bricks began to wriggle and squirm, moving around until there was a wide and tall archway in the wall, revealing that bustling alley beyond, with its many shops and brightly attired shoppers.

"Gringotts first," the slightly pudgy brunette announced. "There's no way I've got enough money for your supplies on me. Now, remember, Danny—be polite to the goblins. Going to the bank is unpleasant enough without them being rude right back at us."

"OK," the boy nodded, wondering what a goblin looked like.

It took all of Danny's self control to not gawk around Diagon Alley like a tourist. He still stared a bit, but reminded himself that that was OK, as it was his first time there, and he'd "just moved from America". He did, however, allow himself the brief luxury of admiring Gringotts before going in.

The white marble and sweeping architecture spoke of wealth, but the warning inscribed above the doorway said far, far more about the contents of the world's only wizarding bank.

_Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed._

_For if you take, but do not earn,_

_You must pay most dearly in your turn._

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_Of finding more than treasure there._

Danny narrowed his eyes. He had a bad feeling that people, many people, were far too compliant in the security of this bank. Still, there was magic involved. He supposed that it wasn't all that important, yet. Resolving to pay close attention to the bank's security in case it turned out to be useful in the future (as so many things often do), he followed his "mother" into the building.

Debbie was standing just inside with a knowing smile on her face, waiting for him.

"Come on," she said, gesturing for him to follow as she walked toward the marble counter.

Danny followed, but looked around carefully as he did so. The goblins were shorter than humans, with long-fingered hands and large heads. They gave him unpleasant looks, which didn't bother him much. Bankers usually disapproved of children.

He watched and listened as Debbie told the goblin behind the counter that she wanted to take some money out of her account. She then produced a key, and the goblin called another goblin over, telling him to "Take Mrs. Fenton and her son to Vault 962."

"This way, please," the second goblin said, beckoning.

Danny and Debbie followed the goblin to an old mining cart. They all climbed into it, Debbie looking more than a little nervous. When the cart began to move, Danny soon understood. It rocketed along at high speed, taking turn after turn after turn, moving ever downward. The damp air was permeated with the feel of magic—enchantment was layered upon enchantment, and Danny realized that the words outside the building were probably very accurate. Gringotts would be very hard for a thief to break into.

The vault itself had three piles of coins. There were bronze…Knuts, he thought, silver…what was the word—ah, yes, Sickles, and gold Galleons. The exchange rate was…he'd forgotten. Oh, well, he could figure it out or look it up or ask and memorize it before he had to make change.

Debbie pulled out several handfuls from each pile and dumped them into a leather money-purse before leaving her vault and allowing the goblin to close it. The ride back passed in silence, just like the first, with Debbie keeping her mouth shut and looking ill and Danny focusing on all six of his senses to get a feel of the defenses—both magical and physical—the kept Gringotts so well guarded.

_Magical_

(A/N) Well, that took an entire semester.

I've settled into college well—straight A's are a good thing. I should probably apologize for not writing this chapter sooner, but I probably needed the time to adjust. I hope to write more often, but I guarantee nothing—I'm going to start learning Japanese in February, and that's going to be very, very hard.

About Danny's ability to sense magic—I decided that it makes sense. It's canonical to the Harry Potter series that the magical energies at Hogwarts are what stops electricity from working, so I assume that magic gives of energy constantly. This would make it fair game for Danny's sixth sense, much like the energy given off by humans, phantasms, and other living things.

He also has the ability to sense electronics. That's not going to see much use in this story, because, well, wizards don't use the things, and most of the action's going to take place at Hogwarts, where electronics simply don't work.

I had to get the book out and look up the letter. The poem, on the other hand, I've had memorized for years. It's just that catchy.

Please review, even if it's only to point out some typo I made—and I really do appreciate having my mistakes pointed out to me! I hate reading things and finding mistakes, so when mine are pointed out, I make a note to fix them. Someday. Like, the next time I update (or maybe the time after that…)

A pointless note of interest. I typed the latter half of this chapter with a cat on my lap, impeding my reach of the keyboard.


	7. Chapter 5

(A/N)

Well, at least I'm still working on this.

Japanese is…exactly as hard as I thought it would be. Pretty much like learning Spanish, only with almost no cognates and with two syllabaries and thousands of ideograms to memorize.

I own neither Danny Phantom nor Harry Potter. Please keep your lawsuits to yourselves and do not bother broke, unemployed college students forced to mooch off of their parents for tuition money.

_Magical_

**Chapter the Fifth**

_Magical_

Upon leaving the bank, Danny continued to look around himself, though he was forced to mostly ignore his sixth sense. There were far too many people about, many of them using magic, which he was quickly discovering he was able to sense, for his personal comfort.

He was unable to stare for as long as he wished to at the strange people and stranger shops, however, because he was having too much trouble keeping track of his "mother". His sixth sense should have been more help than it was, because Debbie _was_ the only phantasm in Diagon Alley, but the massive amount of unfamiliar input in the form of witches and wizards, hags, and whatever else might be hanging around and shopping was quickly becoming overwhelming.

"Mom," he said, catching her hand and trying not to stumble as his head began to ache, "could we slow down a little? I'm not feeling so good…" he trailed off, putting a hand to his head, and hoped that she wouldn't make a huge, embarrassing scene. Danny had no idea what sort of persona Debbie used in public, never having been out in public with her before, but…

"Oh! Of course!" the phantasm disguised as a witch stammered, clearly surprised. Holding tightly to his hand, she guided Danny into an ice-cream parlor and sat him down. Then, after ordering two banana splits, she turned to him and asked "what's the matter?"

"I've got a headache," he told her. "Over stimulation or something. There're so many _people_ here…and it turns out that I can sense magical energy…I need to sit for a while and get used to it."

"Ah, I see…" Debbie trailed off. "That's really something. I've heard of phantasms with the ability to sense magic, to tell at a glance whether a human is magic or muggle, but I've never met one before…why didn't you say something before?"

"I told you," Danny paused, and waited for the shop owner to leave earshot before taking a bite of his banana split and continuing, "my world doesn't have witches and wizards. We don't have magical creatures, either," he added, seeing that she was about to open her mouth. "There're just humans, phantasms, and ordinary animals and plants—and I spent almost all of my time around humans. I had _no way_ to know that I could possibly sense magic."

"Huh. That sounds like an interesting place. Not sure I'd want to visit, though," Debbie laughed.

_Magical_

After eating their ice-cream and waiting for Danny's disorientation to pass, the two Dark creatures in disguise stepped out of the building only to find that they were right next to Flourish and Blotts, the book store in Diagon Alley.

"Well, that's handy," Danny said, grinning. "We can just get my books now."

"Yes," Debbie agreed. "Then, we should head to the apothecary. Once we get you a cauldron, we can carry everything else in it. After that, robes. Then, we'll see where the wind takes us for further shopping." Her eyes gleamed at the prospect.

"Sure," the dark haired boy chuckled. "Let's buy some books, Mom."

Inside Flourish and Blotts it was yet another world. The place was brightly lit and nearly empty. There was row after row of shelf upon shelf of books, books, and more books. Danny's eyes widened as he looked around, titles catching his eyes, promising to teach the reader about hexes and curses, charms, and any other kind of spell that might cross the mind.

Shaking himself, he glanced around and realized that Debbie had gone off, probably to find the books on his list. Focusing briefly, he followed the only sense of "phantasm" in the area to the purchase counter, finding his "mother" talking to a wizard and showing him the Hogwarts list of books to be brought.

"You're awful early," the wizard was saying.

"We wanted to beat the crowds," Debbie countered. "Danny wants to get a head start on studying, and this is the best way. Get the school supplies early, get ahead in class."

Danny nodded, briefly considering walking over to them to help carry books, before hearing other voices, from off to the side.

"The place looks empty. Maybe we shouldn't have come so early…" a woman's voice trailed off, sounding slightly nervous.

"Don't be ridiculous, Mum," a girl's voice replied, somewhat annoyed. "The sooner we get my school things, the more I can study before term starts. I'm sure to be loads behind, being Muggle-born and everything, and I don't want to embarrass myself on the first day of classes."

Narrowing his eyes briefly before putting on a winning smile, Danny followed the voices, planning to meet this Muggle-born girl who wanted to start studying early. _Maybe I can start building contacts now. After all, anyone who sounds that obnoxious is probably really smart, and nerds can be good to know if you need to look up something obscure. Knowing my luck, I'm going to need to find out all sorts of odd things…so someone who's bound to get on the librarian's good side is a must-have friend._

Turning a few corners, following the bright feeling of human life, one normal and one crackling with magical power, Danny found a girl, about his apparent age, with long bushy hair and a woman who looked enough like her to make it obvious that they were related.

"Hi," he said, making them both jump. "Are you going to Hogwarts, too?" he asked, once they'd recovered and he had their attention, but before either one could say anything.

"Yes, I am," the girl nodded. "I must say, I'm a little surprised to see another student here so early. You must be very serious about your studies. Also, I've never heard an accent like that before. Where are you from? You don't sound English. Are you an American? Oh, and wherever you're from, it's rude to sneak up behind people."

"Er…" Danny blinked, taking a moment to make sense of what she'd just said. "In order, I'm not so serious about my studies, I just had crowds. Yes, I'm from America. And finally, I didn't sneak up behind you. You just didn't hear me before I said 'hi'."

"Oh." The girl looked a little put-out. "Well. I don't suppose you could tell us where to find the first-year books? We've been looking for _hours_, and I've found all _manner_ of fascinating reading," here she gestured toward her mother, who was holding several thick volumes, including one titled _Hogwarts, a History_.

"I don't know, actually," Danny admitted. "My mom's over there, at the counter, talking to someone who works here about them. Could you show me where you found that book, though? _Hogwarts, a History_? It looks really interesting."

"Oh, sure!" the girl looked delighted to find someone her own age interested in reading. "Mum, why don't you get my school books, and I'll hang out with…er…what is your name, anyway?" She turned from Danny to her mother and back to Danny again.

"I'm Danny. Danny Fenton. And you are?"

"Hermione Granger. It's nice to meet you."

_Magical_

The Fentons and the Grangers spent the rest of the day shopping together, if only for the sake of efficiency. It turned out that the Grangers had also gone straight to Flourish and Blotts, at Hermione's insistence.

The apothecary was filled with amazing things and horrible smells. After purchasing the potions ingredients on their lists (Danny bought extra of everything), the group of four hurried out.

"I think we should get to Madame Malkin's now," Debbie commented.

"What's that store, Mrs. Fenton?" Mrs. Granger asked, very obviously glad to have someone who knew her way around Diagon Alley there.

"Madame Malkin's is where we go to get robes," Debbie explained. "The robes have to be tailored, so if we drop the kids off there, we can pick up their telescopes and other things we don't have yet, then pick them back up to go and get wands. Then, we can browse around until it's time to get their robes!" Debbie ended with a broad grin, clearly looking forward to browsing.

"Don't spend _too_ much money, Mom," Danny laughed, not wanting to help carry a massive amount of who knows _what_ back.

_Magical_

Madame Malkin was delighted to have two students so early, and let them watch her make their robes while they waited for their mothers to come back. Danny watched the entire time, paying attention to the play of magic from the witch's body, through her wand, and to her sewing equipment. Hermione read a book.

When the two women finally got back, Danny was also reading a book, balancing it on the pile of robes on his lap.

The group left, and headed toward Olivander's. Debbie seemed somewhat down, so Danny asked her what the problem was.

"Well, I was just hoping that your robes wouldn't have been finished so soon, so we could have a chance to shop around for a while."

Danny looked at the pile of stuff they were lugging around, and decided to do a good deed.

"Mom, why don't we go back to the Leaky Cauldron, floo home, drop everything off, then come back here and split up? I'll take enough money with me for a wand and a pet, and you can go on a shopping spree. We'll meet back at that ice-cream parlor we ducked into when I got that headache."

Debbie nodded, looking heartened, but Hermione and her mother seemed a little surprised.

"Is that safe?" Mrs. Granger asked.

At the same time, Hermione said, "Danny, isn't it dangerous to go off on your own around here?"

Danny and Debbie smiled and said, at the same time, "It's fine."

Leaving the Grangers to finish shopping on their own, they headed off to find out what Floo Powder was like.

_Magical_

"Well, at least it's better than the Knight Bus," Debbie sighed, making first herself, and then Danny, intangible to get the soot off.

"That's your opinion," Danny added, shaking his head to clear the last of the dizziness. Flying in corkscrew under his own power was one thing, being spun through a serious of fireplaces was another thing entirely.

_Magical_

(A/N)

Well. Next time: wand and pet.

I wasn't actually planning for him to meet Hermione there, but going shopping early just to start studying sounds like a very Hermione thing to do.

So…thoughts? Opinions? Reports of typos and/or inconsistencies? Flames and/or death threats? I do accept them all, and I really appreciate being told what I'm doing wrong.

Well, I can't imagine why anyone would want to kill me based on this story, but it could happen.

Oh, if you get the urge to flame, PLEASE do so—I really, really want someone to tear apart in an author's note ^__^. Because flamers will be cast into the burning pits fueled with their own flames.

I can't think of anything that I need to explain in detail here, so, until next time, adiós!


	8. Chapter 6

(A/N)

Well. It's been over a month, but I'm back with another chapter. Many thanks to everyone who reviewed; it is a result of your obvious interest that I have sat down to write another chapter.

_Magical_

**Chapter the Sixth**

_Magical_

After putting all of the school things that had been bought so far in the middle of the living room, with a note left on top reading "Howard, please put all this away if you get home first. –Debbie", the "mother and son" walked back to the fireplace.

"Well, here are fifty galleons. That should be more than enough for a wand, a pet, and something to eat. Keep the change as spending money or something," Debbie smiled, handing Danny a heavy money bag. "Don't worry about waiting up for me if I'm really late. Just go on home. Oh, here's some Floo Powder so you can." She handed Danny a small bag filled with Floo Powder. "Let's go!"

Debbie threw a handful of powder into the fireplace, and then stepped in, saying "The Leaky Cauldron!"

Danny followed suit, bracing himself for the nauseating spinning that was sure to follow.

_Magical_

As he climbed out of the fireplace, Danny was mildly surprised when a bossy voice greeted him.

"Well, it took you long enough."

"Hermione! What are you doing here? Didn't you have more shopping to do?" Danny raised his eyebrows, but not his voice.

"Of course we do, but you're only eleven. You shouldn't be going around on your own, so we haven't been to get my wand yet. Get up and come on." Without waiting for a reply, Hermione turned and headed for the back door.

Danny scrambled to his feet and followed, while Debbie and Mrs. Granger walked at a somewhat more sedate pace.

Debbie opened the portal to Diagon Alley for everyone, then hurried off to shop for herself, leaving her "son" with the Grangers.

"Your mum's rather inattentive, isn't she?" Hermione asked, turning to Danny.

"She's fine," Danny sighed, shaking his head. "She knows I don't want to spend three hours shopping, so she gave me money to get a wand and a pet, and permission to get whatever kind of pet I want, and went off."

"Well, shortsighted, then. I mean, anything could happen to you without her there!"

Danny shrugged. "Shortsighted works."

_Magical_

It took them half an hour to find Olivander's. From the outside, it looked small and old. The inside contained row upon row of long, thin, dusty boxes. Dust motes floated and sparkled in the air, and Danny's temple throbbed slightly with the incredible sense of magic flowing out and around them.

Noticing a small, rickety chair, he put a hand to his head and said, "Hermione, you don't mind if I sit down for a while, do you? I've got a bit of a headache."

"Oh, not at all! Go right ahead and sit! Is it a really _bad _headache? You know, headaches can mean all sorts of things, really bad things. Do you get headaches often? Where does it hurt?"

"Hermione," Mrs. Granger sighed. "Don't bombard him with questions if his head hurts. You don't have to answer, dear," she smiled at Danny.

"'Kay," Danny murmured, sitting, one hand massaging his temple. There was so much _magic_ in the wand shop! What was the _school_ going to be like?

He was so focused on adjusting to the energy level around him that he completely missed Mr. Olivander's arrival, and barely noticed as Hermione was measured, and as she tried around a dozen wands and things exploded and flew off the shelves, his main reaction was to wince slightly with every surge of uncontrolled magic.

Fortunately, by the time she'd gotten her wand, he was sufficiently adjusted to stand up and walk over to Mr. Olivander when the main said "Next?" in his soft voice.

"That's me," Danny sighed, slowly walking over.

"And you would be?" Mr. Olivander smiled, intense eyes staring unblinking into Danny's.

"Danny Fenton. I'm from America."

"Well, that explains why the name is unfamiliar to me. Please, give this one a wave," he held out a wand. "Oak, nine inches with the heartstring of a Welsh Green. Stiff, good for transfigurations."

Danny took the wand, and lifted his arm, even though he could _feel_ the energy of the wand pushing him away, and his own energy touching it and being repelled.

"No, no, no!" The wand merchant snatched it away. "That one won't do, try _this_ one!"

And so began a series of wands of varying lengths and types, none of them quite right, until…

"Here. Hawthorne and phoenix feather, quite whippy, good for charms."

Danny took the wand and immediately felt the difference. Before, his own energy would reach out, seemingly of its own accord, and touch the wand, which would pulse slightly and repel part of the energy. This wand, though, harmonized with his magical power, taking it in and channeling it fully.

Smiling, he waved the wand, and a shower of bright green sparks that reminded him of his ectoblasts shot out.

"Excellent!" Olivander cried out, exuberantly. That will be thirty-three galleons and two sickles." Danny handed over thirty-four galleons and received his change.

_Magical_

"Well!" Hermione grinned as they left the shop. "Now that I've got my wand, I can't wait to get home and start practicing!"

"I hear you," Danny smiled, "but I want to get a pet. Maybe a cat. It said in _Hogwarts, a History_ that the school has owls for student use, and dogs aren't allowed…and there's no _way_ I'm getting a toad!"

"Alright." Mrs. Granger smiled. "Do you want a pet, Hermione?"

"No, thanks, Mum. I'd prefer to not have the responsibility. I'm sure I shall have enough to do what with studying and all."

_Magical_

The inside of the Magical Menagerie was crowded and loud. Shrieks, yaps, and cries of all kinds could be heard from the cages, tanks, and terrariums lining the walls.

Danny went to look at the cats, and Hermione followed, eyes wide and darting around, amazed by the creatures surrounding them. There were cats the size of dogs, cats small enough to sit in the palm of his hand, white cats, black cats, cats every color of the rainbow and some colors that Danny had never seen before, not even in the Ghost Zone.

After a while, though, his eyes drifted to an orange kitten with big blue eyes. Smiling and thinking of Jazz, he picked it up. The kitten immediately began to purr, a soft rattling sound that seemed to indicate a couple of dried peas being shaken in a tin can more than happiness.

The saleswoman came up behind the children, smiling.

"Do you like that one? She's a kitten now, and will probably grow to be eight or nine pounds."

"She's perfect," Danny smiled, already lost in big blue eyes with the same color as his sister's.

"She's ten galleons."

"Sold."

Hermione shook her head and smiled at the sappiness of it all.

_Magical_

The Grangers dropped Danny off at the ice-cream parlor, where he waited for nearly an hour for Debbie to arrive. When she finally did, he was nearly asleep, with the kitten, now named Jazz, curled up on top of his head.

"Did you have to wait long?" she asked, poking his shoulder.

"Oh, only about an hour. This," he pointed at the kitten, "is Jazz. I've got my wand, I've got a pet, and I'd like to go home and start studying. Good grades never hurt anyone, and I want to know a few good curses before school starts."

_Magical_

(A/N)

I have successfully passed yet another hurdle commonly stumbled upon in Harry Potter fan fiction, namely, wands and pets.

Olivander's sells wands with dragon heart strings, unicorn tail hairs, and phoenix feathers. You want something more exotic? _You go to another wand maker_. That's how it works.

As for pets, it says _in the acceptance letter_ that students are allowed an owl OR a cat OR a toad. Nothing else is mentioned. Danny is trying to play it safe and stay under the radar, because he's not really supposed to be there, so he's not going to try to get any other kind of pet.

All those exotic pets in those other fan fictions: creative license. OK. Odds are, nobody would have complained if I'd done something like that, but really! There is no _need_ to do anything of the sort.

As always, reviews are greatly appreciated and anticipated. I'm not going to beg for them, but, you know…you never know if yours might be the review to inspire the next chapter (or the chapter after that, or after that…at least one review has already given me a minor (or major, I won't know until it happens) plot point).

Your reviews can only improve this story! They are the TNT that destroys Writer's Block! They are the pellets that I feed to my plot bunnies! They are the oil that lubricates the track that the Fan Fiction Train runs along! I like using exclamation points! !!!


	9. Chapter 7

(A/N)

Well, this is definitely different. For one, I'm using a friend's computer, because I was helping her focus on school work and I suddenly wanted to write another chapter of Magical, so I'm using her laptop. It's different. Very, very different. For one, the screen's a lot smaller than any computer I've ever used before…so I've got not gauge for the length of anything I type here.

As usual, I do not own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter (wait, have I been doing disclaimers? Oh, whatever). If I did, Danny Phantom would have been grittier and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince wouldn't have sucked so badly.

_Magical_

**Chapter the Seventh**

_Magical_

Jazz (the cat, that is, though Danny thought that his sister might react in much the same way) did _not_ like Floo Powder. In fact, she hated it and nearly tore Danny's arms apart trying to escape. He let go of her as soon as they arrived, and the kitten shot off yowling under the couch, a terrified orange blur.

Danny smiled and shook his head, stepping away from the fireplace and brushing soot off of himself.

"Oh, don't worry about that!" Debbie gushed, dropping her hand on his shoulder and making both of them intangible to drop all the soot to the floor.

"Thanks," Danny smiled. Then he looked around and saw that the bags and things from their earlier shopping had been moved, presumably put away. "I guess we'd better find out where 'Dad' put everything so I can start studying."

_Magical_

It turned out that Howard had put the books in Danny's bedroom, along with the cauldron, hat, school uniforms, and a large trunk for keeping everything in, both at home and once he had arrived at Hogwarts. Just thinking the name of the school gave him shivers. _'I still don't know much about the defenses at Hogwarts. I'm a Dark creature, disguised as a wizard…there are really steep penalties for that sort of thing. These wizards aren't a very forgiving bunch…I'd probably be killed and chopped up for potions ingredients or something.'_

Those thoughts in mind, he picked up his copy of _Hogwarts: A History_ and started reading. _'Know thy enemy and all that…though this is really more like 'know everything you possibly can about where you're going to be keeping a huge secret that could get you killed if the wrong people found out about it'. Huh. Just like home, before the Disasteroid thing.'_

_Magical_

The remainder of the summer passed in a haze of books. Much to Danny's relief, every spell he tried worked, if not perfectly, then fairly well, the warm, wild energy that his power had become upon donning the Chameleon Amulet responding to his will when combined with words and wand. He successfully managed to levitate paper clips, and make a tea cup change colors, though he mostly skimmed through his text books to see what he would be learning in the future, and he read _Hogwarts: A History_ several times through, paying special attention to defenses, both magical and not, and unconfirmed rumors.

_Magical_

Finally, the first of September came, and with it, the first day of school. Howard was taking Danny to King's Cross, the train station where the Hogwarts Express was going to leave at 11:00 on the dot. It was now 8:00, and Danny was seated in the passenger side of the car that Mr. Fenton usually drove to work. He was taking the day off to see Danny off, and Mrs. Fenton, Debbie, was going to the office early to do whatever it was she did for the Prophet.

Danny read his ticket again. _'Platform 9 ¾ ? How am I supposed to find…never mind. I probably just have to walk through a wall or something, between Platforms 9 and 10. They're not going to leave it open for Muggles to wander on…and I've seen weirder, in the Ghost Zone. Worst comes to worst, I'll just look for the highest concentration of magical energy.'_

Sighing, he looked out the window at the passing London scenery—house after house after cookie-cutter house, people walking about, on their way to work…the boring drudgery of normal life, thousands of people completely unaware that magic was not only very real, but would have a hand in the fate of the world…_'These are the people I'm here to protect,'_ Danny reminded himself. _'These people, and millions of others like them, in this world and in my own…I'm supposed to stop He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named before he can perform atrocities that would make Hitler look like Gandhi…and I'm supposed to disguise myself as a wizard, infiltrate a school full of innocent children, and make friends of convenience to do so…'_ He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I can do it," he whispered to himself, looking back down at his ticket. "I can do this. Get into Hogwarts, be a student, complete my…mission…" Danny closed his eyes and leaned back, swallowing heavily.

"You'll do fine, I'm sure," Howard smiled, sounding a bit nervous.

"Are you alright?" Danny asked, relieved to have something else to focus on.

"Oh, I'm fine," he smiled. "I just don't want you freaking out in the car…"

"I'm _not_ going to go berserk," Danny sighed. "I don't care how many other half humans it's happened to; I wouldn't be on this mission if I weren't the best person for the job."

"Well, alright," Howard nodded. "Still, it's happened to _every single_ half human who's had to wear one for more than a few years, and you're looking at seven years at least. Do you really think you can last?"

"Yes," he affirmed. "It's actually one of the things that worries me the least right now."

"Well, you can handle your other worries on the train," Howard interrupted, "because we're here. The train leaves in about an hour, so you should have plenty of time to get a good seat."

_Magical_

(A/N)

OK, I'll admit that it's an awkward place to end the chapter, but I would like to get it up and posted, you know?

I don't know when the next chapter will be done and up, but it'll probably be a speedier update than this one was.

I would like to thank everyone who took the time to review, and I must say, I'm looking forward to breaking triple digits on those things. Just one person I need to mention by name here…

**Flying Lyoko Smurf Warrior**, whoever you are, first of all, I'm glad you like my story. Secondly, there are some _very large_ differences between seventh grade and college. Yes, Japanese is fairly easy, and I do know how to learn a language, Japanese will be my third one. However, I think you're underestimating the difficulty of building a 300+ word vocabulary and learning six or so different grammatical forms in a span of 15 weeks.

Have you ever taken a foreign language class? It's very different from learning something from your parents at a young age. It's also very different in college than it is in Middle School or High School. I know. I learned Spanish in High School, and it took one year to cover what a college course covers in a single semester.

Also, Japanese is very different from English. The grammar is different, there are hardly any cognates…I could go on, but I don't want to waste the effort.


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